Vine Family (Vitaceae). Virginia creeper is a native, fast-growing, perennial, woody vine that may climb or trail along the ground. The leaves are compound, containing five leaflets. Leaflets range in size from 2-6 inches and have toothed margins. The leaflets are red when they first emerge but turn green as they mature. In the fall, leaves turn a bright red to maroon color. The inconspicuous green color flowers are borne in small clusters during the spring and followed by small clusters of fruit in early summer. This fruit is a 4 to 6 mm diameter bluish-black berry that usually contains two to three seeds. The vines adhere to surfaces by means of five to eight branched tendrils ending in cup-like adhesive tips. New stems are brownish-green and finely hairy but gradually acquire pale, raised dots and turn purplish-brown with age.

Virginia creeper is often confused with eastern poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), however; a clear distinction between the species is that eastern poison ivy has three leaflets and Virginia creeper has five leaflets. The PLANTS Web site at plants.usda.gov contains an image of eastern poison ivy.

Reproduction: Virginia creeper flowers from June to August, matures fruits from August to October and drops fruits from September to February. The seeds are dispersed by birds. The seeds usually germinate the first or second spring after dispersal.

Virginia Creeper has colorful foliage and berries during the fall. It is more ordinary in appearance during the summer and its flowers are not very showy. The foliage of this woody vine can be rather variable in appearance; some vines produce rather broad leaflets with blunt tips, while others produce more slender leaflets with long tips. Similarly, the lower surface of the leaflets can be glabrous or pubescent, depending on the local ecotype and growing conditions. The palmate compound leaves (consisting of 5 leaflets) are quite distinctive, which makes Virginia Creeper easy to identify in the field. However, there is one exception: A closely related species, Parthenocissus inserta (Woodbine), also has palmate compound leaves and is very similar in appearance. This latter species is confined primarily to northern Illinois. Woodbine differs from Virginia Creeper primarily by its tendrils, which lack flattened pads that can cling to rough surfaces. Instead, the tendrils of Woodbine twine about narrow objects in the conventional manner. Sometimes Virginia Creeper is confused with Toxicodendron radicans (Poison Ivy, Poison Oak), but this latter species has trifoliate compound leaves and dull white berries.

This native perennial plant is a woody vine up to 60' long. It usually climbs up trees, shrubs, or fences, but sometimes sprawls across the ground, forming a ground cover up to 1' tall. The stems are initially green and hairless, but eventually they become brown and woody. The alternate leaves are palmately compound, usually consisting of 5 leaflets (rarely 3 or 7). Each compound leaf has a long slender petiole up to 6-8" long. The leaflets are up to 6" long and 2½" across. They are ovate or obovate and coarsely serrated (at least along the upper half of their margins). The upper side of each leaflet is dark green, while the lower side is light green and either glabrous or pubescent. The bottom of each leaflet is often wedge-shaped, while its outer margins may taper abruptly into a short blunt tip, or they may taper gradually into a long pointed tip. Opposite from the leaves, are branched tendrils that often terminate into flattened pads. These pads can cling to tree bark, wooden fences, brick walls, and other rough surfaces. During the fall, the foliage becomes colorful, varying from burgundy to brilliant scarlet. Occasionally, panicles of yellowish green flowers are produced. These panicles are usually broader than they are long. Each flower is about ¼" across, consisting of 5 green petals, 5 stamens, and a pistil with a stout style. The sepals are insignificant or absent. The petals are triangular-shaped and curve backward. The stamens have white filaments with large yellow anthers. On each plant, the flowers may be perfect, staminate only, pistillate only, or both staminate and pistillate. The blooming period occurs during early to mid-summer and lasts about 2-3 weeks. Each flower is replaced by a fleshy berry about 1/3" across that contains 2-3 seeds. Each berry is initially green, but it becomes blue during the fall. Similarly, the peduncles and pedicels of the flowers/berries are initially green, but they eventually become bright orange-red or red during the fall. The root system consists of a woody taproot.

Woodbind, woodbine, false grapes, five leaves, American Ivy, five leaved Ivy, thicket creeper

Gulf of Mexico

Parthenocissus hirsuta Small:
United States (North America)

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch.:
Canada (North America)
Guatemala (Mesoamerica)
Mexico (Mesoamerica)
United States (North America)

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Distribution: A native of North America. Cultivated in the gardens of Pakistan.

Virginia creeper is found throughout the southern, midwestern and eastern half of the United States. The plant is also native to northern Mexico and southeastern Canada from Nova Scotia to Ontario. Virginia creeper can be found in new and old forests and forest margins. It can also be found on the borders of clearings, on trees, along fencerows and streambanks. The plant thrives in partial shade to full sun. It prefers acidic soil, and tolerates a wide range of soils from dry sandy soils to moist loamy soils. The plant is also salt tolerant. The species is cultivated as an ornamental in many moist temperate areas of the world.

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.

Virginia Creeper occurs in every county of Illinois and is quite common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include deciduous woodlands, woodland borders, thickets, gravelly seeps, limestone glades, rocky bluffs, fence rows, and walls of buildings. It can adapt to disturbed habitats in both rural and urban areas.

Hedera quinquefolia L.:
Pakistan (Asia)

This species is commonly seen as an ornamental in many cities in China and has also been planted along roads and highways in N China for soil conservation.

Branchlets terete, glabrous; tendrils 5-9-branched, young apex curving, later developing into suckers. Leaves palmately 5-foliolate; petiole 5-14.5 cm, petiolule short or nearly absent, glabrous; leaflets obovoid, obovate-elliptic, or elliptic, 5.5-15 × 3-9 cm, glabrous or veins abaxially sparsely pilose, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, veinlets inconspicuously raised, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, margin with rough teeth, apex cuspidate. Paniculate polychasium pseudoterminal, with conspicuous rachis, 8-20 cm; peduncles 3-5 mm. Pedicel 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous. Buds elliptic, 2-3 mm, apex rounded. Calyx entire. Petals elliptic, 1.7-2.7 mm, glabrous. Filaments 0.6-0.8 mm; anthers elliptic, 1.2-1.8 mm. Disk inconspicuous. Ovary coniform; stigma not expanded. Berry 1-1.2 cm in diam., 1-4-seeded. Seeds obovoid, base with short, acute rostrum, apex rounded. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 40.

Climbing shrub, glabrous or young branches hirsute, reddish-purplish; tendril 5-8-branched. Petiole 3-8 cm long, ending in adhesive disc. Leaves 5-foliate, rarely 3-foliate. Leaflets elliptic-obovate to oblong, acuminate cuspidate or mucronate, cuneate, crenate-serrate, dark green above, and pale or ± glaucescent beneath, subcoriaceous, scarlet or reddish in autumn, glabrous or pilose beneath, 3-7 x 2-4 cm, lateral leaflets smaller, sometimes slightly oblique, petiolules 3-5 mm long. Inflorescence usually terminal, divaricate thyrsoides. Peduncle 1.5-2 cm long. Pedicels c. 3 mm long. Calyx cupular, c. 2 mm across, truncate. Petals 5, lanceolate, hooded at the apex, c. 3 mm long; stamens 2.5 mm long; disc inconspicuous, style thick, subulate; stigma short. Berry c.6 mm in diameter, bluish black in colour, globose or ovoid, ± pruinose, 1-3 seeded. Seed, more or less cordate.

Hedera quinquefolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 202. 1753; Ampelopsis quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Michaux; Parthenocissus engelmannii Koehne & Graebner; P. quinquefolia f. engelmannii (Koehne & Graebner) Rehder; Psedera quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Greene; Quinaria hederacea Rafinesque, nom. illeg. superfl.; Vitis quinquefolia (Linnaeus) Lamarck.

Depth range based on 8 specimens in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0.5 - 0.5
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Cultivated throughout China, sometimes escaped and naturalized [native to E North America].

Virginia Creeper occurs in every county of Illinois and is quite common (see Distribution Map). Habitats include deciduous woodlands, woodland borders, thickets, gravelly seeps, limestone glades, rocky bluffs, fence rows, and walls of buildings. It can adapt to disturbed habitats in both rural and urban areas.

Seeds can be sown in the fall or in the spring after cold-moist stratification. Seeds should be drilled 3/8 inches deep in soil or mulch. Optimum planting is 10 plants per square foot. Virginia creeper can also be propagated from hardwood cuttings or layering.

Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper)
(bees suck nectar or collect pollen; observations are from Robertson and Krombein et al. as indicated below)

Bees (long-tongued)
Megachilidae (Megachilini): Megachile mendica sn cp fq (Rb); Megachilidae (Trypetini): Heriades carinatum (Kr)

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / saprobe
scattered, nestling in cortex and long hidden by it stroma of Cytospora coelomycetous anamorph of Cytospora ampelopsidis is saprobic on bark (twig) of Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Foodplant / parasite
Erysiphe necator parasitises Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Foodplant / saprobe
covered, scarcely emerging pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Phomopsis ampelopsidis is saprobic on dead branch of Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Remarks: season: 5

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous colony of sporangium of Plasmopara viticola parasitises live leaf of Parthenocissus quinquefolia

The nectar and pollen of the flowers occasionally attract various bees, including Leaf-Cutting bees (Megachile spp.). Leaf-Cutting bees occasionally use the leaflets of Virginia Creeper as construction material for their nests. Various insects feed on the foliage of Virginia Creeper, including Altica chalybea (Grape Flea Beetle), Popillia japonica (Japanese Beetle), Erythroneura tricincta (Three-Banded Leafhopper), and the caterpillars of various moths (see Moth Table). Several species of Sphinx moths rely on Virginia Creeper as a host plant. The berries are eaten by several species of songbirds that inhabit thickets and woodlands (see Bird Table). The foliage and branches are browsed by the White-Tailed Deer and the Cottontail Rabbit. The berries are not regarded as being edible to humans.

Fl. Per. June-August.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Species: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

No pests or diseases are of major concern, but mildews, leaf spots, canker and wilt are occasional problems. Virginia creeper is sometimes bothered by beetles, scale, leaf hoppers, caterpillars and other leaf eating insects. These pests cause the leaves to be ragged and tattered.

Some literature suggests that Virginia Creeper is not poisonous, but the sap of the plant contains oxalate crystals and can cause skin irritation and rashes in some people.

Ornamental: If you grow Virginia creeper on walls, make sure you want it as a permanent fixture. Once it is established, it is very difficult to remove. You could damage the wall trying to remove the species.

The commercial nursery trade has developed three Virginia creeper cultivars:

‘Engelmanii’-This has smaller leaves and better clinging characteristics than the species general population.

‘Monham’-The leaves have white variegations.

‘Variegata’-It is less vigorous than the species’ general population, but the leaves are marked with yellow and white then develop a pink and red color in the fall.

Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under ”United States Government.” The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading “Department of Agriculture.”

Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist, or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area. If chemicals are recommended be sure to read the label and follow all application and safety instructions for each control method. Trade names and control measures appear in this document only to provide specific information. USDA NRCS does not guarantee or warranty the products and control methods named, and other products may be equally effective. Below is an internet site that contains control information for Virginia creeper:

North Carolina State University

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/apple/orchardguide/Herbicides. pdf

Virginia creeper will grow up any tree and most shrubs. This species will slowly kill the host on which it is growing, because it prevents the host from receiving an adequate amount of sunlight. It can also crowd or choke other plants.

Once Virginia creeper is well established, it grows quickly. It must often be pruned to prevent it from getting out of control. The species can handle periods of sparse rain fairly well; however, if a drought persists, water the vine every week soaking the soil at least six inches. Virginia creeper can be a rampant grower with a climbing height of over 60 feet and a spread of over 50 feet.

Wildlife: The berries of this plant are eaten by many animals especially birds. Animals such as mice, skunks, chipmunks, squirrels, cattle and deer will munch on the leaves and stems. This plant provides great cover for small animals because of is thick foliage. The vines provide birds with perches, nesting places and leaf surfaces to find food.

Erosion Control: Virginia creeper is used as a ground cover to control soil erosion in shaded areas and on slopes.

Medicinal: The bark has been has been used in domestic medicine as a tonic, expectorant, and remedy. The berries have been found serviceable in rheumatic complaints and are found to help cure dropsy. The roots are used for diarrhea and the bark and twigs are made into cough syrup.

Ornamental: It is often cultivated as an ornamental because of its fall foliage and to replace many exotic plants. It is an excellent covering for walls, trellises, arbors or fences. It may also be grown on the ground to cover old stumps, rock piles and other “eyesores”.

The preference is partial sun, moist to slightly dry conditions, and a soil containing loam or clay-loam. Virginia Creeper also adapts well to gravelly or rocky soil, and it tolerates full sun or light shade. This woody vine is a robust grower and requires plenty of room.

Warning: Virginia creeper berries are highly toxic to humans and may be fatal if eaten. Its sap can also cause skin irritation in some people.

Comments: Varieties not recognized by Kartesz (1999 floristic synthesis), but had been recognized by him in his 1994 checklist. Following Kartesz (1999), includes Parthenocissus inserta as to identification of type, but most plants formerly called "P. inserta" are now treated as the distinct species P. vitacea, as in Kartesz (1999).